Nutritional Anthropology™: Eating in Harmony with our Genetic Heritage

Dece mber 2004 The Bond Effect vol 7.12

NATURAL EATING NATURAL EATING NATURAL EATING

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We are independent of commercial pressure and say exactly what we think.
Human Nature: Teeth show Eskimos had harder time than Neanderthals. Quote: FDA: The Watchdog Captured by the Watched. The
Human Condition: Eskimo - Extreme Survival. Question of Month: Heated Oil is not Transfatty. Viewpoint: The Problem Doctor -- or the
Problem Patient? Recipe: Gazpacho. Q&A: Mothers Milk -- Fat Fallacy; Rice Flour -- No Answer; Microwave Ovens OK; Irritable Bowel
Calmed; Power Breakfast. Book Review Part 2: Carbs from Heaven, Carbs from Hell by Dr. Krystosik. Hints and Tips: Eggs in Reserve.
Food/Behavior Connection: Transfat Damages Learning. Food/Health Connection: Gazpacho Fights Cell Damage.

Human Nature The Human Condition Viewpoint

Teeth show Eskimos had
harder time than Neanderthals
The Neanderthals, a species closely
related to humans, thrived in Europe
for over 300,000 years until they
suddenly died out just 30,000 years
ago, at the height of the last ice age.
Some theorize that the Neanderthals
succumbed to the ice age’s ‘unbear-
able’ rigors -- but this is hardly
credible -- they had survived several
earlier ice ages wit hout problem.
Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg of Ohio
State University studied tiny defects
in Neanderthal teeth and ancient
Eskimo teeth. These defects known
as ‘linear enamel hyperplasia’ are
indicators of dietary deficiencies.
She also examined ‘perikymata’ --
tooth markings showing how the
tooth grew -- rather like tree rings .
She found that Eskimos suffered
worse dietary deprivation (up to
three months at a time) than the
Neanderthals. Guatelli is now going
to study the teeth of Cro-Magnons --
the humans who almost certainly
killed off the Neanderthals.
Quote of the Month
FDA: The Watchdog Captured
by the Watched
The Federal Drugs Administration
(FDA) is supposed to police food
safety. But all is not well: the former
head, no less, of the FDA, Harvey
Wiley, M.D. said even in 1976 1:
“The makers of unfit foods have
taken possession of Food and Drug
enforcement, and have reversed the
effect of the law, protecting the
criminals that adulterate food,
instead of protecting the public
health.”
Eskimo: Extreme Survival
Eskimo Family -- ca. 1896. (G J Bond collection)
The Eskimo is a remarkable example
of the ingenuity and adaptability of
the human race to survive in the
most inhospitable circ umstances.
The 2001 film, The Fast Runner, is a
superb reconstruction of their
traditional lives. By all accounts the
Eskimo was a cheery sort in spite of
the harshness of his lifestyle. But it is
not one that we recommend.
Humans are designed for life in a
sunlit, warm, tropical climate.
Question of the Month
Heated Oil is not Transfatty
Q. Is it right that by heating oil (in
cooking) we are creating transfats?
A. No. Transfats are created by the
process known as “hydrogenation”.
Fat manufacturers take the
vegetable oil, add a catalyst such as
platinum, and then heat at high
temperature and pressure while
bubbling hydrogen through it. They
do this to turn the oil into a solid fat.
When you cook at home we are sure
you don’t do that! We advise against
overheating oil for a different reason.
With high heat some fats oxidize --
and oxidized fats are artery-harmful.
However some oils, notably olive oil
resist oxidation well -- which is why
we advise using it for cooking.
See Transfat Damages Learning, p. 3.
Guest contributor, Dr. Peter Galgut,
gives us the doctor’s perspective on
demanding patients. Here is Part 1.
The Problem Doctor -- or The
Problem Patient?
Dr Peter Galgut
So there you are, hale and hearty --
and then something happens - you
don't feel too good anymore. It's
usually something fairly trivial and
not life-threatening: perhaps a bad
cold, or flu, or a tummy bug, or a
sore throat, or any of the other
numerous ailments that plague us
from time to time. So what do you
do? You go to the doctor -- and what
does the doctor do? He gives you
some medicine such as an antibiotic.
And then?
Side Effects
And then you get the side effects --
and these are many. You feel sick
and nauseous, maybe you have an
upset tummy, feel light-headed ….
or suffer a headache.
Resistance
More importantly, every time you
take an antibiotic, the bacteria that
are causing infection learn to cope
with it. The next time you take the
antibiotic it doesn't work -- you have
developed "resistant strains".
So the next time you run to the
doctor you get a "stronger" antibiotic,
and that works until the bacteria get
resistance to that -- and the side -
effects are more severe and you feel
even worse. So you blame the anti-
biotic, or the doctor for prescribing it
in the first place.
Continued page 4.
December 2004 The Bond Effect Newsletter
Recipe of the Month Questions
Gazpacho Mother’s Milk -- Fat Fallacy
(Spanish Cold Vegetable Soup) Q. Why should the saturated fat
YYYYY called palmitic acid, be so bad for us
6 servings when it comprises some 25% of the
There are many recipes for gazpacho. fat in mother’s milk. Isn’t this
irresponsible of Mother Nature?
It is essentially a combination of
tomatoes, cucumber and Mediterranean A. No. An unweaned baby is not yet a
flavors and condiments. fully developed human (biologically
speaking). It is really a fetus that has
Ingredients been born before it is fully developed.
• 2 lb (1 kg) ripe fresh tomatoes A baby has a different biochemistry,
• 1 lb (½ kg) cucumber different digestive arrangements,
• 1 small onion even a different anatomy, to a human
• 1-2 large green (bell) peppers adult form.
In particular a baby is building brain at
• 1 red (bell) pepper (optional )
a fantastic rate – and the grey matter
• 3-4 cloves garlic has a significant component of
• ½ cup (100 cc) Canola (rapeseed) saturated fats.
oil, organic. (alternative: olive oil.) Human milk contains just 4.2% fat.
• ¼ cup (50 cc) wine vinegar Palmitic acid accounts for 1%. There
(ideally from sherry) is 0.35% of another “bad” fat, myristic
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice acid.
Palmitic and myristic fatty acids are
Method:
particularly harmful to human bodies
Peel the cucumbers and remove the from the age of about four onwards --
seeds from the peppers. as has been thoroughly documented
scientifically 2 . Both these fats are
Chop all the vegetables and mix in a
found concentrated in butter (which
blender. is, after all, milk-fat) and in most other
Add the oil, vinegar and lemon juice animal fats. They are also present in
and blend again. For a smoother many so-called ‘tropical’ oils. Palm oil
from which palmitic acid gets its
texture, peel and seed both the name, is a case in point. Palm oil is
tomatoes and the cucumbers. used in many processed foods.
The gazpacho can be served The human species is designed for
straight away, but the flavors are mothers to continue suckling their
babies until they are about four years
better when matured overnight in
old. By the time a child is four years
the refrigerator. old his brain growth has slowed right
Comment: Gazpacho is normally down; his biochemistry has develop-
ed into the one that he will keep for
served chilled, and the Eskimo
the rest of his life. The need for these
(page 1) ate everything cold, even saturated fats stops and his body’s
frozen! But if you don’t fancy that ability to handle them stops too.
in wintertime, room temperature is
The body does not know how to
fine. Just avoid heating. handle these saturated fats after
This is a great way to consume about four years old.
vegetables RAW -- and they have It is a common misconception that, if
milk is the ideal food for babies, then
wonderful life-giving properties.
it must be good for adults too. In fact
See articles:
the opposite is the case. We would all
- Gazpacho Fights Cell Damage, p. 3 do far better if we accepted that, just
- Power Breakfast, p 3 like all other mammals, WITHOUT
EXCEPTION, milk is strictly fo r the
- Irritable Bowel Calmed, this page
young of the species. It is an
Next Month: Mulled wine to warm abomination after the age of weaning.
you up.
page 2
Rice Flour no Answer
Q. What do you make of rice flour; is
it a good substitute for wheat flour?
A. No. Rice flour suffers from most of
the disadvantages of wheat flour. It is
even more glycemic (creates
unhealthy blood sugar surges) and it
contains many allergens and plant
poisons. However, rice flour contains
very little gluten so in this respect it is
not as bad as wheat. But this little
advantage is not enough to
compensate for all the other
drawbacks. AVOID.
Microwaves Ovens OK
Q. I am confused: is it all right to use
microwave ovens?
A. In a word, “yes”. There seem to be
two main types of urban myth about
the use of microwave ovens.
Some people are worried that it is
‘irradiating’ the food and it is
somehow radioactive afterwards. This
is nonsense. Microwaves are just a
form of low frequency heat and have
nothing to do with the emission of
radioactive particles.
Moreover, this low frequency heat
occurs in the safe part of the electro-
magnetic spectrum (which includes
light waves, radio waves, heat waves
and so on). It is sandwiched between
the infra-red (glowing heat) and
television transmissions. The
dangerous waves like x-rays and
gamma rays are at the opposite end
of the spectrum, beyond the ultra-
violet.
Some people are worried that micro-
waving destroys the nutrients in the
food. Well, the answer is that fish and
poultry are more safely cooked this
3
way than by roasting or grilling,
where oxidized fats are the problem
(see Heated Oil is not Transfatty,
page 1). Vegetables are no worse off
than if they were boiled -- not as good
as steaming, but better than not
eating them at all.
Our ancient ancestors ate their
vegetables raw. In an ideal world we
would do the same. But if we have to
cook, microwave is a reasonable
option.
Irritable Bowel Calmed
Q. I have been diagnosed with
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I have
had lots of tests and treatment
without any success. It there anything
that you can suggest?
December 2004
A. Medical science struggles with
‘syndromes’ like IBS because it is
missing an essential piece of the
puzzle: a proper knowledge of
nutrition.
That is where other branches of
science (like ours) come in. We know
how the modern diet puts immense
stress on our digestive tract. We
know why the large bowel (colon)
often gives way.
There are a number of eating errors
which are known to provoke IBS. The
two biggest are the consumption of
grains and of dairy products. The
human digestive tract was not
designed to cope with these
substances. They carry a ca rgo of
allergens (such as gluten and lactose
respectively) and many plant poisons
(such as lectins). Pulses (beans and
lentils) also contain many compounds
that are highly aggressive to the
colon.
On the other hand, a diet rich in the
soluble fiber found in plant food is
found to be soothing and beneficial.
This is not surprising: they send down
the residues that the human colon
was designed to work with.
The basic message is: go cold turkey
on the Natural Eating precepts. Why
not start with the gazpacho dish on
page 2? You could live on it for a few
days: you should see a dramatic
improvement.
Power Breakfast
Q. I get up at 6:30 am, run around
getting the kids and the house ready,
At 8.00 am I rush the kids to school
and dash to the gym at 9:30 am to d o
a 1 hour full body workout class. I’m
not in the mood to eat much and don’t
have much time -- but what is the
best breakfast to give me the energy?
A. Our ancient ancestors had a less
intense start to the day -- waking up
with the dawn, maybe nibbling on
some leftovers, and then heading off
on a leisurely foraging expedition
when they felt ready. So you are
asking your body (and your mind) to
do things they were not designed for!
However we have to go with what
works in today’s frenetic world. There
are a number of ideas for breakfast,
and we will remind readers of them
over the next few issues.
For your particular situation, try the
gazpacho soup on page 2. It is easily
The Bond Effect Newsletter
made in large batches and can even
be frozen. Just get it out of the fridge
in the morning and consume just as
much as you feel like. You can even
take it to the fitness center in a sports
bottle and take sips as you go.
If you want some extra co nsistency,
have a ready-prepared hard-boiled
egg or two.
Q&A Next Month: Insulin Index (put
back from this month), Feeding
Runners, and many more.
Book Review - part 2
Carbs from Heaven
Carbs from Hell
By Dr. James D. Krystosik4
The first part of this review appeared
last month. If anyone missed it the
full text is available on our website
under Book Reviews.
Blood Sugar Control
The problem of blood sugar control is
well explained and the glycemic index
(G.I.) of foods is tackled. This is a
brave move: inconveniently whole
grains and potatoes have glycemic
indexes as bad as sugar. Dr.
Krystosik tries to exonerate them by
claiming, incorrect ly, that: “The
glycemic index does not take into
account the positive effects of fiber.”
On the contrary, these foods are
tested with all their fiber intact.
Dr. Krystosik invokes another notion:
that anyway, the effect on insulin
levels is what is really important.
However he does not mention that in
this case, potato comes off even
worse: it raises insulin 25% more
severely than even white bread.
Exposed
In fact Dr. Krystosik is valiantly trying
to defend a position that is too
exposed and it leads him to say so me
unwise things. For example he
claims: “during the Ice Age, people
only lived into their mid twenties”.
This is not only wrong but counter-
intuitive. If parents died off while their
children were still toddlers, it is hard
to imagine the tribe surviving very
long.
Composite Diet
At the end, we find out why Dr.
Krystosik is so keen to defend his
version of ‘carbs from heaven’ (which
include those pesky unrefined grains,
beans and potato). He has created a
new diet from a composite of the
page 3
ethnic diets, which he calls ‘The
American MediterrAsian Diet’.
There is no doubt that Dr. Krystosik’s
new diet, even with our quibbles, is a
vast improvement on the average
American diet.
Strategies
Dr. Krystosik does not shy away from
the main difficulty that all of us have:
how to actually DO all the sensible
things we are being told. So he
advances some interesting and
unusual strategies for effecting
change. One example is to find a
‘wellness’ coach -- maybe just a
buddy -- who acts as y our conscience
and keeps you on track.
Worth Reading
This book is worth reading too for the
many other robust and interesting
insights that Dr. Krystosik brings to
the food, diet and health industries.
Hints and Tips
Eggs in Reserve
Keep a supply of hard-boiled eggs on
hand in the fridge. (Always go for the
organic, omega-3 sort if you can.)
Mark them with a felt-tip pen so that
you don’t confuse them with
uncooked ones.
These eggs make a useful quick
snack if someone is hungry in the
house, or to grab as you rush out for
a meeting or dash off to work. (See
‘Power Breakfast’, this page.)
Food/Behavior Connection
Transfat Damages Learning
Ann-Charlotte Granholm of the
Medical University of South Carolina
in Charleston has studied 5 the effect
of transfats on rats.
When put through a standard maze
test, the animals on the trans fat diet
learned more slowly and made more
errors. They were FIVE TIMES WORSE
at the task. The brains of the animals
also showed signs of damage to the
hippocampus, a region important for
learning and memory.
"Kids in school are fed hydrogenated
fats [transfats] and then asked to
learn," Granholm told the Society for
Neuroscience meeting in San Diego
last October.
Our View? Transfats were never part
of our ancestral diet and our body
does not know how to handle them.
The evidence is piling up that they
December 2004
undermine our health in so many
unsuspected ways.
We can easily avoid transfats simply
by steering clear of processed foo ds
including margarines. See also
“Heated Oil is not Transfatty” page 1.
Food/Health Connection
Gazpacho Fights Cell Damage
Scientists at Tufts University in
Boston report 6 that volunteers eati ng
gazpacho twice a day had lower
amounts of stress-related molecules
in their blood after just 7 days.
Gazpacho is a Mediterranean-style
cold soup of uncooked vegetables.
(See recipe page 2). The volunteers
consumed 17 ounces (½ liter) of t he
soup every day for 14 days.
Compounds that create abnormal
inflammation and oxidative stress
were reduced. (Oxidative stress
damages cells and makes them
vulnerable to chronic disease.)
The volunteers had lowered amounts
of a hormone called prostaglandin E2,
which produces inflammation; it also
depresses the immune system.
They also had lowered amounts of
two other stress compounds: a
particular “isoprostane” molecule
which aggravates chronic diseases,
and a molecule called “monocyte
chemotactic protein-1”, which inflam-
es arteries into clogging.
The volunteers had decreased
amounts of uric acid in their blood.
Excess uric acid can cause gout (a
joint inflammation) and contributes to
artery and heart disease.
This study confirms our oft-repeated
The Bond Effect Newsletter
mantra -- the compounds in plant
food are essential components for our
bodies to function properly.
Note that the vegetables in gazpacho
are RAW and colored. No potato,
beans or grains here!
From Page 1
Viewpoint
The Problem Doctor or The
Problem Patient!
Part 1 (continued)
Dr Peter Galgut
The cycle is repeated until one day
you have a real medical emergency
and none of the antibiotics wo rk any
more -- you're left with only the
resistant strai ns. Then, you blame the
doctor for "not making you better” or
not being able to give you an
antibiotic that "works".
But whose fault is this? The vast
majority of ailments that affect human
beings are self-limiting, which means
that they cure themselves without
treatment.
Antibiotic Misuse
Moreover, antibiotics are only
effective against bacteria and not
viruses. They are ineffective against
all colds and flu, and most throat and
tummy ailments as well. So why take
them in the first place?
Ah well, do I hear you say, "I ta ke
them because that's what the docto r
tells me to take". So why do doctors
give antibiotics so readily? They know
only too well the side-effects and
disadvantages of giving them and yet
they continue to prescribe them.
Well the problem is not the doctors,
page 4
but it's all of us! When we go to the
doctor we expect to be a "cured". We
expect an instant magic bullet --
something that will sort out the
problem now. If you ask doctors why
they prescribe antibiotics and other
medicines so readily, they tell you
that it is because patients demand
them…
(Continued next month)
Dr Peter Galgut PhD, MRDRCS is a
senior research fellow at London
University, and is a practising cl inician
specializing in the treatment of gum
conditions and other problems that occur
in the mouth. www.periodontal.co.uk
Next month: Part 2
Public Events with Geoff Bond
Sunday, February 13 th 2005
Talk.
Fear Not Diabetes and Cancer
Revolutionary Insights for Avoidance
and Recovery.
Health & Wellbeing Festival,
Venus Beach Hotel, Paphos.
February (Date to be Announced)
Talk (Topic to be announced)
Droushia Heights Hotel Cultural Club
1
Harvey W. Wiley; The History of a Crime Against
the Pure Food Law; Ayer Co Pub; 1976
2
Katan et al; Am J Clin Nutr 1995; 61(suppl):
3
1368S-73S
Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 1995 Dec;
4(8) 895 -99
4
Square One Publishers; NY11040, USA, 2004.
272 pages, $16.95.
www.squareonepublishers.com
5
New Scientist, 06 November 2004, p 17
6
Sánchez-Moreno, C. and A. Martin. Journal of
Nutrition 134 ; November 2004:3021-3025.

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Editor: Geoff Bond. © 2005 Geoff Bond. Published by Natural Eating Ltd